Street-sweeping machine



[No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

E. 0. FISHER. STREET SWEEPING MACHINE.

No. 436,520. Patented Sept. 16, 1890,

"51 i- "I I 0 a E W/T/VES'S'ES. INVENTOH Arm/mm 3 Sheets-Sheet. 2.

(No- Model.)

B. 0; FISHER: STREET SWEEPING MAGEINE.

N .520. Patented Sept. 16, 1890.

W/T/VEjSSES:

WrL.

W A rm/m'ri 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

B. O. FISHER. STREET SWEEPING MACHINE.

Patented Sept. 16, 1890.

"IVE/V70 z mdy ZZZ 0.. wAsnlNuYun D c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

ELMENDORF C. FISHER, OF PORT RICHMOND, NEW YORK.

STREE T-SWEEPING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.436,520, dated September16,1890.

Application filed April 28, B99. Serial No. 349,760 (No model.)

To all whom it may, concern.-

Be it known that I, ELMENDORF O. FISHER, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of ..Port Richmond, Richmond c'ounty, New York, haveinvented Improvements in Street Sweeping Machines, of which thefollowing is a specification. V v The main features of my inventionrelate more particularly to that class of automatic sweeping-machines inwhich there is combined with the sweeping-brush carried by the vehicle areceiving-box, also carried by the vehicle, and a conveying or elevatingdevice to carry the dust and dirt up into the receiving-box.

- My invention consists of certain improvements in the construction ofthe machine and its parts,as more fully described hereinafter. In theaccompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of my improvedstreet-sweeping machine. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section. Fig.2 is a detached View of a part. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view on aboutthe line 1 2, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged side view of one of thevehicle-wheels and the driving-wheel with some of the spokes of thevehicle-wheel broken oif. Fig. 5 is a vertical seotionof the rotatingbrush-wheel. Figs. 6 and 7 are perspectiveviews of parts. Fig. 8isa-vertical section on the .line 3 i, Fig. 2.- Fig. 8 is a viewillustrating how the shoveh. arms are mounted in the rotary disk. Fig. 9is a sectional planon the line 5 6, Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is a viewtoillustrate the construction and operation of the side sweeping-brush,and Fig. 11 is a perspective view of one of the shovels.

In the drawings I have shown the vehicle part of my i proved machine asconstructed after the pattern of an ordinary top businesswagon, to bedrawn, as usual, by one or a pair of horses, as the work may require.The vehicle is mounted upon four wl1eels,-the two large rear wheels 15'being mounted loosely on the ordinary axle l), fixed to or in theframe-work of the vehicle. The two front and smaller wheels 0 turn onthe axle c, which may have the usual springs, frame, and fifth-wheelbetween it and the under front part of the body of the vehicle. Over thefront wheel is the usual seat for the driver of the wagon, and withineasy reach are a number to turn.

of levers, hereinafter referred to, by which the parts are controlled.

The rotary brush-wheel D is mounted concentrically with the rear axle ofthe vehicle, in order that as the vehicle traverses over .the ground thesweeping-edge of the brush shall be -coincident'with the bearing-edgesof the rear wheel, and shall come down into depressions in the groundand pass over rises in the ground coincidently with the rear wheels.

By this means the streets will be much more elfectually swept thanwhere'the brushes are mounted so as not to coincide with the wheels. Inthe present instance I have shown the rotary brush-wheel as consistingof a series of transverse brushes 10, carried by end wheels 11 on ahollow shaft 12, which is mounted on bearings 13, carried by theoppositeside frames. (See Fi 3.) The transversebrushes .10 are carried by theseend wheels through expanding movement of the brushes is limitedby-short, chains 17.

Rotary movement isimparted to the brushwheel thus constructed from therear wheels in the manner which Iwill now describe. Be-

tween the body of the vehicle and each rear wheel is mounted agear-wheel 18 upon fixed bearings 19, secured to the body of the vehicleabout the fixed axle b. Each of these wheels 18- may be thrown into andoutjof gear with the adjacent vehicle-wheelB by any suitablemeans, sothat'wheu the two are in gear with each other the traversing of thevehicle along the street will then cause the wheels 18 to move andimpart rotary motion to the brush, as hereinafter described.

As a convenient device for engaging and disengaging the wheels B andgear-wheels 18, I may use sprngactuated pawls 20, carried by thegear-wheels, to engage with correspond- SQ I simultaneously with theshaft 2 L through the ing ratchet-wheels 21 on the hubs of the wheels B.On throwing them out of engagement the traversing of the vehicle willcease to cause the gear-wheels, and consequently the sweepingbrush-Wheel, to rotate.

I provide any suitable devices for freeingthe pawls from theratchet-wheels, and in this case I have illustrated sliding pins 22passing through the sides of thevehicle and controlled from thedriversseat. One stop-pin 22 is controlled through the medium of thehand-lever 26, rod 25, and vertical shaft 24, with its crank-arms, Fig.7. The stop-pin 22 on the other side of the vehicle is carried byacrankarm on a vertical shaft 27, which is operated medium of' theconnecting-rod 23, as illustrated in the perspective diagram, Fig. 7. By

moving the hand-lever 26 forward the stop-- pins 22 on .the oppositesides of the vehicle will be thrown out into the paths of the rear armsof the pawls 20, Fig. 4, and the latter will be thereby disengaged fromthe ratchet wheels on the hubs of the wheels B, and accordingly thegear-wheels 18 will be stopped. Motion is transmitted from thesegearwheels 18 to the rotary brush-wheel D by the gearing of the wheels18 into pinions 28 on a transverse shaft 29.,which also carries achain-wheel 30. Over the latter passes a chain onto a wheel 31, carriedby the hollow shaft 12 of the rotary brush-wheel. Through the medium ofthis or like gearing rotary motion is imparted to the brush in adirection the opposite-of that in which the wheels B of the vehicle turnas the vehicle is traversed over. the street.

Immediately in front of the brush-wheel D is a movable shield E, whoseupper end leads to the bottom of the elevator-chute F, Fig. 2. Tothe-under side of this elevator-chute is pivoted a front guard-board G,connected by a rod or rods g to the shield E, so that as the vehicle istraversedover the street if this front guard-board should strike anobstruction the shield E, which is hung by arms e from the rear axle ofthe vehicle, as shown in Fig. '2, will be raised up out'of the waybeforethe obstruction can strike it, and thus avoid any damage.

The dust and dirt are swept up over the shield E into the bottom of theconveyor or elevator-chute F, and the elevating device thence carriesthe dirt up into the chute and discharges it into the receiving-box H,as shown in Fig. 2. This receiving-box H occupies the space over therotary brush-wheel, and may be pivoted at its rear at h, so that whenthe rear doors of the vehicle are opened the receiving-box may beswungon its pivots to dump the dirt out wherever desired The elevating orconveying device usually employed in street-sweeping machines consistsof endless bands with buckets; but an objection to such devices is thatthe dirt and dust get into the bearings of the bottomwheel' over whichthe band or chain passes and soon get out of order, and if sticks orbarrel-hoops or such devices are swept up into the conveyor they are aptto stop-it. I have therefore constructed my conveyor of two or moreshovels or buckets carried at the outer ends of traveling arms, so thatthe operating wheels for these buckets shall not be at the lower end ofthe chute. I have shown the eouveyer in Figs. 2 and 8 as provided with apair of these shovels ,Lcarried byarms J, and as the width of the chuteis not equal to its height I provide means for imparting to theseshovels and arms a motion in the direction of their length as well astheir rotary traveling motion. For this purpose the arms J' are mountedto slide in grooves in a central wheel or disk K, Fig. 8, and the innerends of the arms are pivoted to an endless traveling belt I,passing'over wheels L mounted in bearings in the vehicles, Figs. 2, 3,and ,8. Rotary motion may be imparted to each of these wheels and thence.to the buckets by any suitable means; In the present instance I haveshown means forimpartingintermittent motion to one of the wheels Lthrough the medium of a pawl-lever 51', engaging with a ratchet-wheel onthe axis of the wheeliL, Figs. 2,3, and 8, this pawl-lever beingconnected, as shown in Fig. 1,by a rod 32 to a walking-beam 33, pivotedto the vehicle, while the opposite end of this walkingbeam. is connectedby a rod 34' to a crank-pin on the wheel 28.

The better to balance the opposite shovels I, I preferto fix'to the axisofthe wheel K a lever-k, having its opposite ends connected by rods isto the arms J of the shovels, as'shown in Fig.8. It will thus be-seenthat as the chain, or belt Z travels in the direction of its arrow, Fig.8, the buckets will have a rotarymotion imparted to them in anelliptical path, owing to the advancing and receding motion of theircarrying-arms, inorder to accommo-I date themselves to the width of thevehicle,- Each shovel I has a tail-piece j, by which-it is pivoted to'its arm J at J. As illustrated in Fig. 2, this pivoting pointof eachshovelis such that the shovel, which has two sides open, as shown in theperspective view, Fig. 11, and which is normally keptfrom tilting on itspivot by being confined within the chute F, will, whengit reaches thetop of its movement and comes opposite the opening in the back i of thechute, fall or tilt over at right angles to the plane of movementof theelevator-arms, as shown in the upper part of. Fig. 2, and dump thecontents of the shovel into the reeeiving-box 1-1.. As the shovelscontinue their rotary movement, however, an incline 53 will so act onthe tail j of the shovel as to bring it back intofits normal position onits carrying-arm, whence it passes down the chute again to gather upanother charge of dust and dirt from the bottom of the chute and carryit up on the other. side to discharge atthe top into the receiving-box.

I prefer to combine with the street-sweoping device constructed asdescribed a pair'of revolution and throw the dirt under the vehicl'einto the path of the main brush-wheel. Rotary motion may be imparted tothe shafts of these brushes by any suitable means, and in thepresent'instance I. have shown at the upper end of each shaft abevel-wheel 37,

gearing into a corresponding bevel-wheel 38,,

whose shaft alsocarries a chain-wheel 39. .30- tary motion is impartedto this chain wheel from the corresponding front wheel through a chainpassing either over the hub of the wheel or over a chain-wheel, whichmaybe driven by the front wheel 0 and be engaged with or disengagedfromit, as desired. The frame 35, which carries these frontgutterbrnshes, is preferably so mounted and controlled by a hand-lever59 and connecting-rod 40 that when desired the driver may readilyraise-the brushes into and out of the gutter,

In order to cause the main brush-wheel to expand oreontract to a certainextent-that is to say, to adjust the transverse brushes farther from ornearer to the hollow axle of the wheelI provide the following orequivalentdeviee: 'As I have before described, the inner ends of thespring-arms 15, which carry the several transverse brushes 10, areconnected to the sleeve 16. On this sleeve is secured a segmental rack41, into which gears a-worm 42, mounted in hearings on one of theend-wheels 11 of the brush-wheel.- The opposite ends of this worm carrystar-wheels 43, located at different distances from the axis of thebriglsh-wheel. A vertical shaft 44, Fig. 6 mounted in hearings in theinner frame of the-vehicle, carries at its lowerend two fingers and 46.Whenthis shaft 44 is turned so as to throw the finger 45 inward, thelatter will come into the path of one of the star-wheels 43 and turn theworm '42 at each revolution of the brush-wheel, and consequentlyturn'thesleeve 16, so as to adjust the brushes outward from the axis ofthe brush-wheel. When the verticalshaft 44 is turned in the oppositedirection, so as to throw the finger 46 inward, the latter will finditself in the path of the other star-Wheel 43, which at each revolutionof the brush-wheel will be so turned as to move the sleeve 16 in adirection to adjust the brushes 10 nearer to the axis.of the wheel andthus collapse or. contract the brush-wheel.

The shaft 44 can, however, be moved to such a position that neitherfinger 45 or 46 will be in the way of either star-wheel as'thebrnsh-wheel rotates.

convenient to the driver by means of a lever 49, controlling thetransverse shaft 48, with a crank-arm connected by a rod 47 to an arm onthe upper end of the vertical shaft 44.

I I claim as my invention- 4 1. A sweeping-machine having a vehiclebodymounted on wheels, a fixed axle for the rearwheels, with a rotary brushhaving a'tubular shaft turning about the said fixed axle, gearing forimparting motion from the said rear wheels to the brush, andengaging anddisengaging devices between thewheels and brush, all substantially asdescribed.

2. A sweeping-machine having a rotary brush-wheel-with a series ofbrushes adapted to be moved toward or from the axis of the wheel, thesweepingedge of the brush being on a line with the bearing-edges of theveliicle-wheels, in combination with a lever nn-. der the control of thedriver,and devices, substantially as described, controlled by the lever,to expand or contract the brush while the vehicle is in motion,substantially as described.

. 3. A sweeping machine having a rotary brush-wheel withtransverse-brushes carried by arms pivoted to the wheel, and means foradjusting the arms on their pivots to expand or contract the rotarybrush, substantiallyas described.

4. A sweeping-machine having a rotary brushwheel with transversebrushes, springarms carrying the brushes and pivoted to the wheel, andmeans for adjusting the said spring-arms on their pivots to expand orcontract the rotary brush, substantially'as described. g

5. A sweeping-machine having'a rotary brush-wheel consisting of a shaftwith endwheels and rods, spring-arms carrying'transverse brushes andpivoted. on the said rods with a sleeve to which the inner ends of thespring-arms are connected, and means for adjusting the said sleeve inrelation to the axis of the wheel,--as and for the purpose specified.

6. A sweeping-machine having a rotary brush-wheel mounted to turn on therear axle of the vehicle with an intermediate shaft, gearing forimparting motion from the ve-- hicle-wheels to the intermediate shaftand thence to the shaft' of the brush-wheel, and engaging anddisengaging devices between the vehicle-wheels and brush-wheel.

.7. The'combination of a receiving-box and. elevating-chute of asweeping-machine with a brush and movable shield over which the brushsweeps the dirt into the chute, and a front guard-board connected withthe mov able shield, as and for the purpose set forth.

8. The combination of the brush and receiving-box of a sweeping-machinewith an elevating-chute and a rotating shaft carrying arms with pivotedshovels at the outer-ends, substantially as described.

9. The combination of the brush and receivingdoox of a sweeping-machinewith an elevator-chute and rotating shaft' carrying agms with pivotedshovels, an end ess belt In testimony whereof I have signed my nameconnected to the ends of the shovel-arms, to this specification in thepresence of'two subwheels over which the chain passes, and meansscribing witnesses.

for traversing the said belt'or chainto impart ELMENDORF C. FISHER.

a rotary motion to the sh0ve1-arms, and also Witnesses:

a sliding motion longitudinally of the said EDITHJ. GRISWOLD;

' an-ms, as and for the purpose specified. J HN REVELL.

